Live the Sacred Blessings of the Women Mystics & Goddesses 2022 – Mirabai Starr

Live the Sacred Blessings of the Women Mystics & Goddesses 2022 – Mirabai Starr

Enter a sacred sanctuary, set down your fears and challenges, and allow inner strength, love, and healing to arise organically through the transformative energies of the Divine Feminine.
No matter our age or who we are, there are times we long to be held in the loving arms of a Great Mother…
… to lay down our burdens, feel the peace of having no worries, the nourishment of deep connection, and the acceptance and warmth of unconditional love.
As a seeker on the path, you know these qualities are within you, yet oftentimes they’re far from reach — buried by patriarchy’s expectations of what a woman should be or do…
… tamped down by cultural mores… fear-struck by global crises… or hidden in the darkness of childhood traumas or a disconnect of our own making.
A part of you also knows that the “mother” you long for is your connection to the Sacred Feminine… innate energies calling you to go inward to tap into your own reservoir of courage, quiet, and self-compassion.
This potent medicine — which many of us have forgotten — is the remedy for our anxious minds and weary hearts, inviting us to take refuge in stillness and open to the spaciousness of the moment and the unity of all things.
It also calls us to live fully… the wild, sacredly sensual, untamed dance of life.
In this 12-module online course, author, mystic scholar, and interspiritual teacher Mirabai Starr invites you to enter a virtual sanctuary…
… a refuge where you can set down your daily challenges and allow solutions to arise organically — out of the brokenness, wisdom, and love of the Feminine.
In this safe and loving container, Mirabai will encourage you to yield to a compassionate deconstructing — in which you let go the imprints and energies of others, including collective unease, religious dogma, preconceived notions of service, and self-limiting ideas of personal power.
Through powerful guided meditations, deep listening, relaxation practices, chanting, writing and creative project prompts, and more…
… you’ll experience the fierceness and tenderness of the Hindu Goddess Durga, the courage and passion of 16th-century Spanish mystic Teresa of Avila, the healing energies of the mysterious and sacred field of the Dark Mother, and much more…
You’ll connect deeply with the potent healing energies of ancient traditions’ feminine mystics and goddesses as wise, empowering, and compassionate allies you can turn to during challenging times and throughout your life journey.

Over the course of this profound inner journey, you’ll:

Become intimate with the indwelling feminine Presence, as an ally for reconnecting with and embodying the Sacred
Respectfully offer whatever stands in the way of your soul’s liberation to the Hindu Dark Goddess, Kali
Approach meditation as spaciousness around your thoughts and feelings to bear witness to what you’re experiencing and not believe everything you think
Immerse yourself in the luscious poetry of the Sky-Clad mystic Lalla, to cultivate a direct and naked encounter with the Sacred
Embody the energy of Tara, Tibetan bodhisattva of compassion, grounded in reverence for the essential unity of all beings
Be inspired by the history of the Beguines, laywomen who lived outside the confines of hierarchy and rules in communities of prayer and service
Learn to integrate your spiritual passion with your life, allowing that sublime love to permeate every aspect of what you do and who you are
Create a relationship with Mary Magdalene as a beloved ancestor available to guide you into your sacred sensuality
Focus your attention on sexuality as a gift — regardless of your stage in life — and the incarnation of spirit into your particular body
Learn techniques to energize your body and soften your heart so that you can be of service joyfully, without burning out
Practice stepping out of your own way and making yourself available for the flow of Shakti, life force
Uncover an area of your life where you once found joy being creative and reclaim your connection to this art form
And much more…

Mirabai is a highly-sought-after expert on the feminine mystics and goddesses, recently named one of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People in 2020 by Watkins’ Mind, Body, Spirit magazine.
Her unique insights into the Divine Feminine show us how to “live into the Sacred,” and how this can enrich our personal spiritual practice and help us cultivate more courage, self-empowerment, and self-compassion for facing life’s challenges.
Our ability to connect with our innate feminine energies AND respond to the cries of the world — is rooted in feminine wisdom and the heart, according to Mirabai…
… not a sentimental heart; rather a fierce and loving presence.
Mirabai teaches us how the women mystics and goddesses can help us reconnect with this tender-strong part of ourselves and reclaim the sacredness of our body, mind, and spirit, the peace and groundedness that dwells within, and the interconnectedness that sustains us all.
What You’ll Discover in These 12 Modules
In this 12-module transformational intensive, Mirabai will guide you through the fundamental body-mind-spirit skills and competencies you’ll need to open to the feminine mystics and goddesses as wise, empowering, and compassionate allies you can turn to during challenging times and throughout your life journey.
This on-demand course will feature 12 video modules with Mirabai. Each module will build harmoniously upon the previous ones, so you’ll develop a complete holistic understanding of the practices, tools, and principles you’ll need to cultivate more courage, self-empowerment, and self-compassion for facing life’s challenges.

Module 1: Lay Down Your Burdens & Fully Invite in the Present

In mystical Judaism, the Sabbath is a living being, Shekinah, and when we light the candles at sunset she comes flowing in and “re-souls” us. She imbues us with the tender power of the feminine and invites us to fully inhabit the holy present.
Cultivating a Sabbath practice is a medicine that mainstream society has lost. In this session, we reclaim the subversive, transformational potency of sacred rest, renewing our intention to lay down our burdens, refresh our thirsty souls, and take a break from the woes of the world. We become curious about and open to What Is.
In this module, you’ll:

Become intimate with Shekinah, the “Indwelling Feminine Presence,” as an ally that reconnects you with the Sacred
Draw inspiration from the story of Chanah of Ludmir, a 19th century Chasidic master who defied the patriarchy to become an exemplar of a living Sabbath practice
Adapt the Jewish Sabbath (Shabbat) to fit the shape of your own life
Make a commitment — a day a week, an hour a day, or a couple days a month — to fast from electronic devices, put aside the to-do list, and reconnect with the Earth and your own sensuality
Design a ritual to welcome the Sabbath
Identify the compulsions that drive you and the burdens you bear, and offer them to the Divine Feminine to be transmuted

Module 2: Take Refuge in Stillness & Befriend the Holy Dark

Every spiritual tradition offers some version of contemplative practice as a touchstone for an awakened and heart-centered life. The masculine model has conditioned us to engage meditation as another weapon with which to beat ourselves into submission.
The way of the feminine is to take refuge in the stillness and explore the silence with curiosity and tenderness, befriending the holy dark. In this way, ideas about the nature of reality fall away and give rise to a lived experience of the unity of all things.
In this module, you’ll:

Meet Teresa of Avila, the 16th-century Spanish mystic whose radiance shines across the threshold of time to illuminate our own path through these treacherous times
Connect with the Hindu goddess Durga, embodiment of the Divine Mother, and allow her fierce and tender energy to lead you to your own reservoir of courage and quiet
Recognize that meditation is about being present and bearing witness to our own experience — not believing everything we think
Make a commitment to sit in silence and stillness on a regular basis
Consider joining a meditation group or attending a meditation retreatto support your practice
Learn what it means to be a contemplative, and apply those values to your daily life
Experience the infusion of the sacred into the ordinary when you commit to a contemplative path

Module 3: Discover the Elixir of Longing — We Are That Which We Seek

There is something imprinted on the human soul that recognizes the language of romantic love as a reflection of spiritual union — with the power to actually evoke awakening.
These wisdom teachings usually involve the mystical paradox of annihilation — lover dissolves into Beloved and only love remains. Separation from our divine source turns out to be an illusion, and we discover that not only were we connected to the Beloved all along, but we are that which we have been desiring.
In this module, you’ll:

Listen to the legend of Bhakti poet-saint Mirabai, whose unmitigated devotion to Krishna, god of love, emboldened her to defy the patriarchy
Connect with the passion of the Hindu Goddess Radha and rekindle your soul’s yearning for union with the Beloved
Explore classic versions of the lover/Beloved archetype from Jewish, Christian, Hindu, and Sufi wisdom traditions
Learn to integrate your spiritual passion with your life — allow sublime love to permeate what you do and who you are
Understand the difference between “becoming nothing” and “being unworthy”
Embrace the fire and allow it to transfigure you

Module 4: Become One With the One & the Love You Truly Are

Our spiritual preconceptions and inherited dogma are often our subtlest yet most formidable obstacles. The feminine heart recognizes the essential truth of holy paradox: embracing all that is life-giving while being willing to be annihilated.
It praises the beauty of the created world and throws our small selves into the holy fire so that nothing remains to separate us from our Creator. Or from each other. Or from the radiant web connecting All That Is.
In this module, you will embrace your dying and become who you truly are: a boundless being made entirely of Love.
In this module, you’ll:

Immerse yourself in the luscious poetry of the Sky-Clad mystic Lalla, to cultivate a direct and naked encounter with the Sacred
Respectfully offer whatever stands in the way of your soul’s liberation to Kali, the unconditionally loving Dark Mother of the Hindu tradition
Explore the universal teaching that guides us to die before we die
Engage the power of our personal losses as the alchemical substance available for radical transformation
Experience the increased capacity of the broken heart to experience, hold, and share love

Module 5: Weaving Community & Rising From the Illusion of Separateness

To walk as a feminine mystic is to recognize that our lives are interpenetrated with the lives of all sentient beings, and that the One we love shines from every nexus in that web of inter-being.
Whenever we tend to a single strand we are participating in the care of the whole. When we turn our face from the suffering of any being and walk away, we are exiling ourselves from our Beloved. Once we have tasted the glory of our oneness we can never again fall for the illusion of our separation.
In this module, you’ll:

Find inspiration in the history of the Beguines, a group of laywomen who lived outside the confines of hierarchy and rules in communities of prayer and service
Embody the energy of Tara, Tibetan bodhisattva of compassion grounded in reverence for the essential unity of all beings
Identify the burning issues in your heart aligned with the needs of the planet and all who dwell here
Develop the ability to access and contain the suffering in the world
Cultivate mindfulness skills to sit with what is and not be overwhelmed
Build your courage to speak truth to power
Learn techniques to energize your body and soften your heart so to be of service joyfully — without burning out
Recognize that you are enough and have enough, exactly as you are

Module 6: Honor & Celebrate the Body & Your Sacred Sexuality

The way of the feminine is about reclaiming the holiness of passion, blessing the burning of yearning, and saying yes to the wild, untamed, unrestrained dance of life.
It’s about honoring and celebrating the body. And not just the limited ideals of the body imposed upon us by men. The feminine honors every shape and size and hue of the physical form.
The Divine Feminine is a prism who throws her radiant reflections in all directions. She is desirable and her desires are worthy. Her desires are holy. To desire her is to be blessed.
In this module, you’ll:

Create a relationship with Mary Magdalene as a beloved ancestor to guide you in living into your sacred sensuality
Freely worship Aphrodite, Olympian goddess of beauty and pleasure
Regardless of your stage in life, focus your attention on sexuality as a gift: the incarnation of spirit into your particular body
Engage your relationship with the other as a portal to divine union
Reclaim holy longing
Soften your preconceptions about what an ideal body looks like and adore the body you have

Module 7: Living the Sacred Task of Awakened Parenting

In almost every religious tradition, the patriarchy places greater importance on scriptural study and ritual observance than raising children. Childrearing is an arduous path, a hero’s journey that leads us on harrowing adventures… but parents are rarely acknowledged for the enormity of the task.
Even those who don’t have their own children are, in some way, parenting the world. This is a sacred task… and you’re not alone. In your effort to be a source of nurturing to others, you can draw on the primordial power of the Divine Mother.
In this module, you’ll:

Learn why medieval English mystic Julian of Norwich concluded that God must be a mother
Drop into the sacred field of mystery, expressed as the Madonna in all Her forms
Experiment with transforming the conditioned image of the (white) Father God to the Divine as mother, sister, and lover
Allow yourself to feel and metabolize the disappointments of parenting
Identify the ways you mother the world
Accept your children as your teachers

Module 8: Embodying Our Relationship With Mother Earth

It’s important to find your seat in the center of creation — amidst the awkward, perilous, broken beauty of this life — and access the courage to gather the sorrowing world in your arms. The environmental crisis requires a feminine-centered response.
Rather than relating to a world of duality — perpetrator or victim, sacred or profane, physical or metaphysical — the feminine welcomes everyone to the table. Like the Great Mother, the feminine mystic doesn’t view creation as a damaged object in need of repair… but rather as a beloved child in need of care.
In this module, you’ll:

Develop a relationship with Hildegard of Bingen as the quintessential nature mystic
Meet the Mesoamerican Earth goddess Ixchel, who weaves the world into being
Attune to your purpose as a fierce protector of the Earth
Discover what’s yours to give and BE in these times of impending environmental catastrophe
Draw on the healing and holding energy of Mother Earth to strengthen your particular prophetic offering

Module 9: Discover the Alchemizing Art of Creativity

There’s a vital connection between creativity and mysticism. To engage with the creative impulse is to agree to a voyage into the heart of the mystery. It bypasses the discursive mind and delivers you to the source of your being.
When you allow yourself to be a conduit for creative energy, you can become a channel for grace. A miraculous event unfolds when you throw the lead of your personal story into the flames of creativity — it alchemizes into gold.
In this module, you’ll:

Discover haiku master Chiyo-Ni, contemporary of Basho, whose poetry almost disappeared after her death
Forge a bond with Saraswati, Hindu goddess of creativity — who’s available to you as a sacred guide across the creative arts
Practice making yourself available to the flow of Shakti… the life force
Reclaim your connection to creativity and experience the joy
Commit to a creative project and share the result

Module 10: Allowing Self-Forgiveness & the Forgiveness of Others

Every wisdom tradition on the planet emphasizes that compassion is the quintessence of the Holy. The Arabic word rahim, found in the opening lines of the Qur’an and repeated many times a day in the salat (daily prayers), means compassion.
Rahim is also the word for womb. Forgiveness is the face of the Divine Feminine. Each time we allow mercy to enter the shattered spaces of our hearts, we participate in the divine nature. To forgive ourselves is to forge a contract with the Divine Mother: I will mirror you in my own soul. Yet this is not so much a decision as an allowing. It is grace.
In this module, you’ll:

Bear witness to the story of Etty Hillesum, who experienced a profound awakening of the heart in the midst of the horror of the Holocaust
Take refuge in the merciful embrace of Quan Yin, She Who Hears the Cries of the World
Experiment with opening your heart to those who have caused you pain
Gather world leaders you know to be perpetrating harm into your prayers
Do an inventory of people you have hurt and make active amends
Accept your own humanity as sacred, rather than as evidence of your unworthiness

Module 11: Death as a Beautiful Self-Awakening & Deepening of Community

Few of us are inclined to step willingly into the landscape of death and dying, but this is holy ground and great awakening awaits those who cultivate intimacy with such sacred spaces.
It takes effort and courage to break through the veil that Western society has spun around death. We are conditioned to see dying as a failure rather than as a pilgrimage. Both being with the dying and mourning our dead are individual journeys and there are no rules to follow, no laws you can break.
Our grief is directly connected to our love and we must resist being shamed into relinquishing it. When we bear loving witness to each other’s profound losses, we help each other lift and carry the great weight of remembering, bringing our loved ones back from the private shadows of our own heart into the generous light of community.
In this module, you’ll:

Contemplate the poetry of the 9th-century Sufi mystic, Rabia, master of ego annihilation
Find your own reflection in the myth of Demeter, Earth goddess, and her beloved daughter Persephone, abducted by the god of the underworld
Set your intention to hold a space of loving presence at the bedside of a dying friend or relative the next time the opportunity arises
Design a memorial service template that reflects your personal values
Record your wishes for your own death and what is to be done after you die

Module 12: Take Refuge & Reclaim the Loving Heart of the World

Gaze upon the world’s great wisdom teachings through the eyes of the feminine and reclaim the loving heart of the world. Rather than taking vows, take refuge. Instead of complying with biblical injunctions, embrace the subversive, enlivening message at their core and embody the present moment as holy ground.
Make your soul a sanctuary, not a battlefield. There is nothing to be purified or perfected, only honored and engaged. These are perilous times. Your generosity of spirit is urgently needed.
In this module, you’ll:

Consider Buddhism’s Bodhisattva and Refuge vows through the lens of the feminine
Reframe the notion of “mitzvah” in Jewish wisdom as an invitation rather than a commandment
Make a plan to either join or convene a feminine wisdom community
Practice addressing yourself as a beloved child rather than an adversary
Imagine a place of loving safety you can return to anytime you feel discouraged or depleted

About Mirabai Starr
Mirabai Starr is an award-winning author of creative nonfiction and contemporary translations of sacred literature. She taught Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos for 20 years and now teaches and speaks internationally on contemplative practice and interspiritual dialogue. A certified bereavement counselor, Mirabai helps mourners harness the transformational power of loss. Her latest book, Wild Mercy: Living the Fierce & Tender Wisdom of the Women Mystics, was named one of the Best Books of 2019 by Spirituality & Practice. Mirabai is on the 2020 Watkins List of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People of the World. She lives with her extended family in the mountains of northern New Mexico.